


The True El Dorado

by GalaxyLand



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: EXO AU, M/M, MAMA AU, Space Pirates AU, power au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-11
Updated: 2018-07-26
Packaged: 2018-11-30 18:26:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 18,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11469168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GalaxyLand/pseuds/GalaxyLand
Summary: Commander Suho of the El Dorado Space Station lived a peaceful life. That is, until he was kidnapped by the crew of The Lucky One and their infamous leader, the interstellar pirate known as Captain Kris.





	1. I

For all the great prestige that came with his rank, Suho thought, it just seemed to end up with him either losing sleep, being buried in paperwork, or both at the same time.

 

He was currently sitting in his office sorting through weeks of reports he had been putting off. Sighing, he pushed his chair away from the cold steel desk and stood up to stretch. His eyes drifted across the family portraits and former space station commanders framed on the wall to look down upon him judgingly, across the years of meaningless awards now covered in a thin layer of dust, and sighed once again.

 

He supposed he should be thankful for the era of peace that blanketed his time as Commander of the Ranger Corps’ El Dorado Space Station (or the RED depending on who you asked) but for some reason, he just wasn’t. When Suho joined the Ranger Corps years ago, he had imagined himself captaining one of their ships and journeying through uncharted space. He imagined becoming part of a crew and discovering new planets, new stars, new worlds that no one had ever even dreamed of. Instead he was a commander and utterly bored.

 

“Sir?” a voice came from the intercom, breaking his train of thought. He shook his head and leaned forward to press the reply button.

 

“Yes, Lieutenant Amber?” he asked.

 

“We need you in the command room. There’s some kind of unidentified ship headed our way.”

 

“I’ll be right there,” he replied.

* * *

 

When he arrived in the command room, there was more activity than he had ever seen before. People whispered excitedly and made bets about where the strange ship had come from. After all, no one was scheduled to visit from the Corps for another few months.

 

“What’s going on?” he asked, a rare touch of authority coloring his usually smooth voice.

 

“We aren’t sure, sir,” Lieutenant Amber replied. “It’s some kind of ship, a big one. It doesn’t match any of the Corps records as far as we can tell. It’s not one of ours.”

  
“Do we know anything at all?”

 

“It seems dead. There’s not enough energy coming from it to be a fully functioning ship. There’s some kind of symbol on it too but it’s too far away for our tech to identify it.”

 

“Try to establish communication with them. And keep shields up!”

 

“Yes sir,” Amber replied, relaying orders to the lesser officers. A young officer with bright orange hair named Jimin began typing away at his station furiously, stopping only to lean into his microphone.

 

“This is El Dorado Space Station to your craft, please identify yourselves,” he said. The entire room held its breath. No reply. “This is El Dorado Space Station, you are not authorized to dock here, I repeat, you are not authorized to dock here. Please identify yourselves or we will be forced to engage you,” Jimin tried again. Silence.

 

“Commander?” Amber asked. Suho rubbed his temples. “Keep shields up. Everyone prepare your stations. Be prepared to engage at my command.”

 

“You heard the man!” Amber yelled. “Stations on the double, and I want Level I alarms raised.” The Lieutenant walked over to where Suho stood in the back and lowered her voice. “Suho, what the hell do you think this is?”

 

“I have no idea,” he responded quietly. “I just hope it doesn’t actually turn out to be a threat. This station hasn’t seen combat in years, and no matter how pristine it may look, our guns are still covered in metaphorical dust.” Amber nodded her understanding and turned back to observe the crew at work. There was a crackle of static and Jimin suddenly jumped up from his station.

 

“Hello? Can you hear me?!” he cried, glancing back at his superiors. The static sound continued until the faint sounds of a voice began to become clearer.

 

“Hello? Is anyone there? Oh gods, please,” the voice gasped.

 

“Yes, yes! This is El Dorado Space Station, can you tell me who you are?” Jimin asked.

 

“We’re the crew of The Two Moons… or what’s left of it… we were attacked,” the voice responded hoarsely. “We’ve been drifting, looking for help… barely have any engine or provisions left…some of us are injured…” Jimin glanced back hesitantly only to find Commander Suho was already behind him and leaning over his shoulder to snatch the mic away.

 

“Hello, Two Moons. My name is Suho, the commander of this station. Can you tell me who it is I’m speaking to?”

 

“My name…is Jongin…”

 

“Hello, Jongin. I’m going to have my people catch your ship in a tractor beam and pull your ship in, okay? Just hold on for me. How many of you are there?”

 

“Six of us… five not including me…” Jongin replied softly, suddenly cut off by a terrible hacking cough.

 

“Okay, tell everyone to get secure for me, okay?” Suho glanced over his shoulder to see Amber directing everyone in his stead. “Can you tell me the names of everyone else? Keep talking to me here, Jongin.” There was a longer pause of silence now before a response came.

 

“Other than me, there’s Hunnie…Lu…Jongdae…Baek…. and Kyungsoo…. I don’t…I don’t think Kyungsoo is breathing anymore,” Jongin suddenly whimpered. “Oh stars…Soo… No, no…There’s so much blood…”

 

Suho’s own blood turned to ice as he looked around to find someone not at work. “You!” he said, pointing at a young boy from the science department. “Taehyung, is it?”

 

“Most people call me V,” the boy said nervously, “but, I mean, yessir, what can I do for you? Sir?”

 

“Do you know where the medbay is?”

 

“Yes, sir.”

 

“Good. I need you to run down and bring me Doctor Zhang. Quickly now!”

 

“Yes, sir!” V replied brightly, relieved it was a task he could accomplish, and ran off.

 

“Jongin?” Suho said urgently. There was silence again, not even the static from before. “Jongin, can you hear me? Are you there?”

 

“I’m here,” his voice suddenly crackled through. Suho sighed in relief. “Your ship is still a little far away, but we’re doing our best to quickly pull you in. I’m bringing a doctor friend of mine here to help, okay? You tell him what you see and he’ll tell you how to help your crewmates.”

 

 

“It’s too late…” Jongin’s voice said mournfully. “It’s over…”

 

“What’s over?” Suho frowned. He glanced up to see the dead ship eerily floating closer towards the station, finally caught by the tractor beam. There was that symbol Amber had mentioned. He swore he’d seen it before somewhere, but where? A hexagon with an E… an X… and an….“Oh.” Suho stared dumbly at the vessel in front of them. Oh, no. The previously dead ship suddenly roared to life, the sheer power of it alone shaking the thick windows surrounding the command room.

 

“Your peaceful station, I’m afraid,” Jongin’s voice suddenly came through the radio, bright and cheery as if he were an entirely new person. “This is Kai of the Lucky One, and your station now belongs to us, Commander Suho.” The microphone on Kai’s end clicked off a second before the ship opened fire at their station.

 

“I WANT ALL LEVEL III ALARMS ON THIS INSTANT,” Lieutenant Amber roared. “ALL HANDS ON DECK, THIS IS NOT A DRILL.” An explosion rocked the station, sending Suho stumbling into poor Jimin.

 

“Sir, there’s another ship!” an officer named Hani cried.

 

“What do you mean?!” Suho snapped, trying (and failing) to pull himself up with dignity. “How did we not notice an entire ship?”

 

“It wasn’t there before! Our radars didn’t see it. It just…appeared,” Hongbin chimed in nervously. Suho didn’t even have time to groan or hit his head on the nearest desk before V appeared with Doctor Zhang in tow.

 

“Suho!” he yelled crossly, storming to the commander’s side. “What is going on?”

  
“Calm down, Yixing,” Suho said soothingly.

 

“I was told there was a ship full of injured people.”

 

“I was too until they started attacking us.” The pair winced as a particularly nasty explosion hit somewhere in the station. “Yixing, get to safety. You and the other doctors need to lock down the medbay and use the back entrance to catch anyone running by who needs help.”

 

“To hell with that, I’m staying here,” Yixing scoffed. Suho snorted. As delicate and kind a man as the doctor was, he was also extremely stubborn at the most inconvenient moments.

 

“Fine. Stay back.” He was in Commander mode now. “Hongbin and Hani, I want you two to run a few more precautionary scans to be sure there’s not a third ship. Jimin and Hyuk, you get on trying to hack into their systems. Shut it all down if you can. Don’t give me that look; I know what you two do in your free time. Luna, get your security detail to their battle stations. Ryeowook, Hyoyeon, and Heechul on guns, send any extra personnel to help Doctor Leo in the medbay. Amber, stay here and oversee the station.”

 

“What about you, sir?” Amber cried.

 

“I’m going out there.”

 

“Commander Suho--no.”

 

“Commander Suho yes.”

 

“Don’t worry Amber, I’ll go with him,” Yixing said reassuringly.

 

“Like hell you will,” Suho snapped.

 

“Too late, now are we going or not?” Yixing said innocently. Suho gave his doctor an exasperated look before turning to grab his blaster and running out, Yixing close behind.

 

The stainless steel halls that should’ve been familiar seemed almost sinister when bathed in the dim red light of the Level III alarms.

 

“Never thought I’d see this place like this,” Yixing mused quietly next to him. “Who’s attacking us anyway? And why?”

 

“The Lucky One,” Suho replied stiffly.

 

“That’s not much of an answer,” Yixing pointed out.

 

“They’ve never really been active out here, but back in the heart of Ranger Corps operations, they’re the biggest nuisance around. The Lucky One is a ship full of infamously ruthless and skilled mercenaries and pirates. What they want with the El Dorado I have no idea, but whatever it is, it isn’t good.” Suho fell silent as he motioned for Yixing to move behind him and slowly peered around a corner. “Clear. Where was I? Right, the Lucky One.”

 

“Where are we headed anyway?” Yixing asked him, looking at the red lights warily.

 

“The tech department. There must be something there they’re after, I can’t think of anything else they would want in the station itself. I have to make sure whatever it is they’re after, it doesn’t fall into their hands.”

 

“Oh dear,” Yixing’s voice breathed faintly behind him. “Oh, this isn’t good.”

 

“Well of course the station being attacked isn’t good, what do you expect?” Suho chuckled humorlessly.

 

“No, that’s not exactly what I was referring to.”

 

“Shhhh, hold on a second,” Suho murmured, peering around another corner. It was quiet. Too quiet. Surely they should have run into someone by now.

 

“Suho, it’s important,” Yixing hissed back.

 

“What?” he asked, turning around to face the doctor.

 

“He kind of has a gun to his head right now,” a new voice said. The owner of said voice grinned cheekily at Suho as he gestured his blaster towards Yixing’s temple. He was short, shorter than Yixing but closer to Suho’s height. His eyes were keen and catlike and he had bright teal hair that was swept carefully to the side. “Commander Suho, I presume?” he continued. “Lovely to meet you. I’m a big fan, really.” Suho froze in his tracks, staring at Yixing and his attacker numbly. “Put the gun down, won’t you? I would hate for these pristine walls to be stained with the insides of your friend here.”

 

“Suho, no,” Yixing said desperately.

 

“Ah ah ah, come on now,” the man sighed, flicking the safety off and pressing the blaster harshly into Yixing’s head. “Don’t be a hero, Commander.”

 

Suho swallowed dryly, his heart pounding in his ears. He couldn’t risk it. He slowly put his blaster down and held his hands up in the air. Yixing let out a small noise of frustration.

 

“Good choice,” the attacker said, nodding in approval.

 

“What do you want?” Suho asked him, cautiously eyeing the blaster. “There isn’t much of anything worth taking stored here in my station.”

 

“Oh, you are very wrong about that,” the teal-haired man said, smirking. “But there’ll be enough time for that later. Isn’t that right, Tao?” he asked, raising his voice as he looked at something—or rather someone—past Suho’s shoulder. Yixing cried out a warning, but before Suho could turn to look behind him, cold metal sharply hit him on the back of the head and he fell into blackness.


	2. II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am truly astounded by all the wonderful feedback I've gotten so far! Thank you, truly, to each and every one of you who has read and commented and left kudos. I figured I should introduce myself now-I'm Galaxy, or Gal, and I'm really terrible at updating in a timely manner sometimes, so just yell at me or something if it's been too long and you just can't wait to find out what happens next~ But seriously, thank you again, and feel free to talk to me anytime! I love meeting new people.

Suho was floating.

 

Where he was floating to, exactly, he wasn’t sure. There was nothing but pure darkness surrounding him, yet Suho somehow instinctively knew he was still moving _somewhere_.

 

“Suho,” he heard a female voice echo faintly in the distance. “Guardian.”

 

“Who are you?” he heard himself reply, struggling to make his voice carry throughout the thick inky blackness enveloping him.

 

“Suho,” the voice breathed again. This time there was a twinge of sadness to her voice. “My guardian. Your trials have only just begun.”

 

“Trials? What trials?” he tried calling out to her.

 

“The Evil is coming, Suho. You will need to have your wits about you if we are to have any hope of you surviving your upcoming journey.”

 

“Evil? What evil?”

 

The voice paused before choosing to speak again with a sudden urgency.

 

“It’s time to wake up now, Guardian. Your friend is waiting for you on the other side.”

 

“Wait! At least tell me your name!”

 

The voice seemed to contemplate his request. “You may call me Mama.”

 

“Mama?” he asked, but suddenly he was floating faster and faster and faster and now he was practically flying through the darkness and further away—the black ink seemed to be filling his lungs and he gasped for air—but now there was a bright white light ahead of him—

 

“Suho?” a familiar voice sounded from above him. “Come on, Commander. Wake up.”

 

Suho opened his eyes and squinted at the harsh light that suddenly assaulted his vision. Hazily swimming above him was the concerned visage of Doctor Zhang.

 

“Yixing?” he croaked out. The doctor’s face broke out into a relieved grin.

 

“Finally, you’re awake.” Suho came to the realization that he was lying on the floor of an unfamiliar room while being cradled in Yixing’s lap. He quickly attempted to push himself up, wincing as his vision swam once more and a pounding headache kicked in. Yixing made an irritated noise as he gently placed his hand on his Commander’s back and helped ease him into a sitting position.

 

“Where are we?” Suho inquired softly.

 

“A cell on The Lucky One, as far as I can tell,” Yixing replied, a serious curtain falling over his expression. “Once they knocked you out, they blindfolded me and took the both of us back to their ship. Claimed they needed a medic to help keep you alive. Not that it mattered. I demanded they take me with you either way.”

 

“Why would you do that?” Suho scolded.

 

“Well, they were right. Someone needs to watch your ass,” Yixing replied playfully. Suho chuckled.

 

“I suppose you’re right,” he conceded. “But why in the stars did they want to take me in the first place?”

 

“Beats me,” Yixing shrugged. “Maybe for insurance? The Corps can’t destroy their ship without harming you too.” Suho nodded thoughtfully and looked around their cell for anything useful. It was entirely white from floor to ceiling except for one singular wall made of clear glass panels that presumably existed so their captors could look in on them. Two small white beds were pushed up against the sides of the room, but other than that, there was nothing else of interest save a small security camera in the corner that gleamed menacingly with a bright red light. He supposed it could’ve been worse.

 

“I see someone is awake,” a new voice interrupted his thoughts. Suho and Yixing both whipped around to look through the clear glass wall. Standing there was a very tall man with carefully styled chestnut brown hair and a deep scar that ran across the bridge of his nose up through one of his eyebrows. His crisp white shirt was carefully pressed, his black boots polished with precision, his blood red coat effortlessly draped across his shoulders; he was a vision of raw, commanding power, unchecked and flaunting all of its glory. He looked as if he could be as Terran—as human—as Suho if it were not for the slight glimmer of golden scales that trailed down his temples. He must be a Draxian, Suho realized. The inhabitants of planet Drax were rumored to have second forms similar to the dragons of Terran lore. He swallowed hard.

 

“Are you the captain of this vessel?” Suho finally asked as calmly as he could. The newcomer smirked.

 

“What an astute observation, _Commander_ ,” he chuckled mockingly. “You are correct. I am Captain Kris of The Lucky One, and, by extension, the one who holds your fate in his hands.” Yixing bristled with anger besides Suho, but the commander placed a placating hand upon his companion’s shoulder before addressing Kris again.

 

“It’s a pleasure, then, Captain. As you no doubt already know, I am Commander Suho of the Ranger Corps-controlled El Dorado Space Station,” he responded politely.

 

“The Ranger Corps,” Kris sneered. “An organization dedicated to ‘protecting peace’ across the galaxy. If you ask me, your superiors are nothing but a bunch of rich aristocrats who want all the power for themselves. I almost wish I could’ve been there to see the looks on their faces when they learned I just stole away with their most precious cargo of all.”

 

“And what cargo might that be?” Suho pressed.

 

“All in due time, Commander. For now, I just thought I’d introduce myself to you and your companion here. And what is your name, medic?” he asked, his piercing gaze resting across Yixing.

 

“Lay,” Yixing replied without hesitation. “I am Doctor Lay, head medic aboard RED Station.” Suho held his breath and sent a silent prayer to whatever deity there may be that would listen to his plea for Yixing’s lie to remain undiscovered. There was a slight pause before Kris nodded his head in acceptance.

 

“Welcome aboard, Doctor Lay.” Lay nodded back.

 

“Might I trouble you for some supplies, Captain Kris? Commander Suho here may seem to be functioning rather well for now, but I believe both of us would hate to see him suddenly collapse of a terrible head injury,” Lay requested in a clipped tone, flashing Kris a polite yet forced smile. A flash of panic momentarily graced Kris’ face before he recovered himself and nodded in agreement.

 

“Of course,” he said, his cocky manner momentarily forgotten in the face of losing his prisoner. “I’ll send Xiumin down with a medkit immediately. And…perhaps some food as well. The Commander has been out for several hours now, after all.”

 

“That would be much appreciated,” Suho agreed weakly, suddenly all too aware of the sense of exhaustion weighing down upon him. He blinked several times. Had the room always been this tilted?

 

“Okay, bed time for you!” Lay insisted, turning away from Kris to help usher Suho into a standing position so the Commander could (awkwardly) stumble his way over to one of the beds. Suddenly realizing how much weakness he was showing in front of the pirate captain, Suho attempted to look over Lay’s shoulder as he frantically wracked his brain for some dignified-sounding parting words, but Kris was already gone. He forlornly imagined the course of the hypothetical interaction in his head until Lay snapped his fingers in front of Suho’s eyes. “Focus, Suho. Focus. Follow my finger. Without moving your head. No, not like that—” Lay broke off his sentence in favor of uttering a curse. “I think you’re concussed, Commander.”

 

“Is it that bad?” Suho slurred, eyelids now feeling very heavy.

 

“Of course not,” Lay quickly assured him. “You’ll be good in no time, Commander.”

 

“That’s good,” Suho murmured. “It wouldn’t do for a commander to be so incapable of defending his crew.” His eyes widened. “The crew! They aren’t—I mean, they can’t be—”

 

“I’m sure they’re fine,” Lay hurriedly interrupted. “ I can’t believe the Lucky One would have destroyed the station. By the looks of it, Kris is a very proud captain. It seems very in his character to leave behind witnesses to his crime. Besides, Amber is fully capable of handling the station on her own until you return.”

 

“She is, isn’t she? Amber is…good. A good lieutenant.”

 

“Of course, Commander.”

 

“Not much of a Commander anymore, is he?” a voice taunted from behind the glass. Lay and Suho turned to see yet another unfamiliar man standing there, holding a medkit in his arms. He had a very tall and lithe figure, his clothes entirely black and covered in various chains for show. Strapped to his hip was a wicked-looking black katana, but the true intimidation he radiated came from his lazy smirk and narrowed cat-like eyes. “I’m glad Xiumin let me trade places with him. I’m Tao, Kris’ personal bodyguard. Anyone who wants to get to him has to go through me first.”

 

“Lay.”

 

“Comm-Suho. I’m Suho.”

 

“I thought as much. Didn’t really get a good look at you when I knocked you out earlier,” he chuckled mockingly. “Sorry about that, by the way. Sometimes I don’t know my own strength. Rur-trained and all.” Tao at least had the decency to look _slightly_ ashamed instead of _completely_ smug. Suho shivered. Rur, the so-called Ruby Red Planet, was a planet known far and wide for its incredible military skill and rigorous training programs. If Kris had a bodyguard from Rur itself, then he had far more connections than the Corps had even dared to imagine.

 

“You don’t look like you’re from Rur,” Lay commented lightly. “Don’t citizens of Rur usually have red skin?” Tao glared.

 

“I’m Terran-born, but I was raised on Rur as long as I can remember.” Lay nodded thoughtfully.

 

 **“Tao, aren’t you supposed to be giving the doctor the medkit?”** a voice crackled through the intercom. Tao started slightly and directed his glare towards the camera in the corner.

 

“Stand back,” he ordered Lay and Suho, resting his hand threateningly on his sword hilt. The two men held their hands up in a peaceful gesture as Tao swiped his security key and the glass panels folded in on themselves, opening up a gap for the bodyguard to walk through so he could place the medkit into Lay’s eager arms. “Here. Standard Corps-issued medkit.” He backed up, still facing the prisoners. “I’ll see you later. Lay. Suho. Someone should be in to bring you food soon.” With that, Tao smiled menacingly and disappeared down the cellblock hallway.

 

“Charming fellow,” Suho muttered, leaning back as Lay began to go to work. “Ow!” he glared at Lay as the doctor serenely stabbed a needle into his arm.

 

“Sorry,” Lay mumbled distractedly, not looking truly apologetic in the slightest.

 

“That looked like it hurt,” another voice chimed in. Lay groaned exasperatedly.

 

“Another distraction?” the doctor asked, turning and raising an eyebrow at the newcomer. “I have a patient here, you know.”

 

“Geez, sorry, doc. Just thought you and your patient here would like some food,” the newcomer sighed dramatically, brushing his hair to the side and shaking his head in fake disdain. His metallic pink hair swished back and forth as he did, highlighting his shimmering skin and intricate silver arm bands that delicately lined his arms. He was a Lytian, no doubt: a citizen of the planet Lytia, a gem-encrusted land full of dazzlingly blinding cities and a population that could manipulate light waves. “Byun Baekhyun, head inventor of the Lucky One and current errand boy, at your service.”

 

“Head _inventor_?” Suho furrowed his brow. To the best of his knowledge, that wasn’t really an actual position on most standard ships.

 

“Yes, _head_ inventor,” Baekhyun sniffed. “I’m the one who keeps everyone well-equipped on this ship. I once even turned a disco ball into a bomb.”

 

“Why?” Lay asked curiously.

 

Baekhyun shrugged. “I thought it would look cool.”

 

 **“Baekhyun.”** The voice over the intercom sounded tense.

 

“Lighten up, D.O.!” Baekhyun chuckled. “I’m not doing any harm. That’s D.O. on the intercom. You’ll meet him later, probably. Though I’m not sure you’d actually want to meet him, he’s a terrible buzzkill,” he added in a stage whisper, winking conspiratorially.

 

**_“Baekhyun.”_ **

 

“I know, I know. Here’s your food.” Baekhyun lazily opened the cell and slid in two trays of food. “See you later!” He waved cheerily and vanished down the same hallway Tao had taken previously.

 

“What an eccentric crew,” Suho noted. Lay nodded his head in agreement.

* * *

 

Another few days passed and Suho slowly began to recover thanks to the daily shots Lay gave him. He wasn’t exactly sure what was in them, but he learned long ago to stop questioning new technology from the medical field and to simply listen to whatever his head doctor told him instead.

 

The duo from RED had also met a few other crew members from having their meals delivered, though the Lytian Baekhyun seemed to be the most fond of visiting them.

 

Xiumin, they had discovered, was the name of the short teal-haired man who had originally confronted them back on the station, and upon closer inspection, he appeared to be from the frozen planet Hollremn. Luhan was the blonde citizen of Sybll that had hypnotizing silver tattoos that seemed to swirl all about his body. Kai was the teleporting Trrthylian that had black smoke eerily drifting off his form. The only man whose origin they weren’t certain of was the sandy-haired Sehun. He appeared Terran, but there was a nervous energy to him that Suho and Lay couldn’t quite pinpoint the source of.

 

“Where are you from again, Lay?” Suho asked one day, staring up at the flourescent white ceiling.

 

“Changxiushialianta,” Lay replied casually, picking at some invisible dirt under his nails.

 

“I will never be able to pronounce that correctly,” Suho sighed.

 

“If you prefer, you can always say I’m from Changhsa,” Lay teased, looking up at Suho with a mischievous glint in his eyes. Suho laughed and threw a pillow at him. Lay ducked out of the way and stuck out his tongue.

 

“You’re never going to let me live that down, are you?”

 

“Never.”

 

The first time Suho had met Lay at the Ranger Corps Academy, he had misheard the latter’s introduction and assumed he was from Changsha instead of Changciu-Chanxia- _damn_ , he really was never going to be able to pronounce that properly.

 

“That’s a place on Terra, you know. Changsha,” Suho commented when his laughter had finally died down.

 

“Really? What is it like? I’ve never visited Terra.”

 

“I’ve never visited Changsha myself. I’ve heard it’s beautiful, though. There are a lot of places I never got to visit on Terra, now that I think about it.”

 

“But you were the head of your class at the Academy! You were always the brightest and cleverest of all of us trainees. We always assumed it was because you had traveled so many places and learned about so many different customs. You seemed, I don’t know, wise beyond your years. Well-rounded.”

 

“If only,” Suho sighed ruefully. “I only ever lived in my hometown back on Terra. You know my father was always off on Corps duty, so my mother never wanted to travel anywhere in case he came home unexpectedly. And once I was old enough, it was right off to the Academy for me. My father was a Corps member, and his father before him, and his father before him. It was always kind of a given I would be joining the Corps too.”

 

Lay studied him silently.

 

“Well, for what it’s worth, I’m sure you’ve made them beyond proud,” the doctor said finally. Suho smiled back.

 

“Thanks, Lay.”

 

An awkward cough at the door interrupted the two men.

 

Lay and Suho glanced up to see the mystery Sehun standing at the door to their cell.

 

“If you’re done reminiscing,” he started in his usual bored tone, “Kris wants to see you now.”


	3. III

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry, I swear I was going to update it sooner, but then EXO's comeback came about and I wanted to wait to see if it gave me any new ideas! Trust me; it did. Surprisingly, it fit in pretty well with some of the stuff I already had planned. What did you guys think of Power? What do you think about the new developments in this chapter? As always, thank you so much for reading and leaving Kudos and commenting and all the wonderful things you guys do!  
> -Gal

**Accessing Ranger Corps Official Database…**

**Commander Kim Junmyeon, head of the El Dorado Space Station in Quadrant IV. Status: Missing.**

**Doctor Zhang Yixing, senior medical officer aboard the El Dorado Space Station in Quadrant IV. Status: Missing.**

 

Lieutenant Amber Liu stared at the screen in front of her for what felt like the hundredth time that day. Status: Missing. The words burned into her mind, carved themselves deep into her very soul. Status: Missing. Junmyeon-no, it was Suho now, she always forgot that-had always been like an older brother to her. They had trained at the Academy together, and she had watched him work so damn hard over the years to earn his position. He had always been her inspiration, an unbreakable legend.

 

**Status: Missing.**

 

Frustrated, Amber pushed the screen away and abruptly stood up from her desk. The flurry of movement that had previously been going on around her screeched to a sudden halt as her subordinates froze in their places, carefully gauging her behavior. Amber glared at them. “Carry on,” she ordered, sitting down once more as she ran her fingers through her messy blonde hair. She pulled the screen back to its proper place and reopened the Corps database.

 

**Commander Kim Junmyeon, head of the El Dorado Space Station in Quadrant IV. Status: Missing.**

**Doctor Zhang Yixing, senior medical officer aboard the El Dorado Space Station in Quadrant IV. Status: Missing.**

**Commander Kim Junmyeon, head of the El Dorado Space Station in Quadrant IV. Status: Code Blue.**

**Doctor Zhang Yixing, senior medical officer aboard the El Dorado Space Station in Quadrant IV. Status: Code Silver.**

 

Amber blinked. She rubbed her eyes and focused on the screen. Status: Code Blue. Status: Code Silver. What did that mean? As far as she knew, there were only three possible statuses: Alive, Missing, or Deceased. The lieutenant quickly pulled out her clearance pass and swiped it. Maybe her higher clearance level would allow her to–

 

**Access Denied. Clearance Level V Required.**

 

Amber looked down at her Level III clearance pass and scowled. “Guess I’ll have to call the Supervisor, then,” she sighed. She stood up and walked towards the back of the bridge in order to enter her private office. She locked the door behind her before sitting at her desk and opening up a direct communication channel to the Supervisor. His grainy image popped up in holographic form in front of her. Amber swallowed hard and sat up just a little bit straighter.

 

“Lieutenant Amber. It is unusual for you to be calling me. Where is Commander Suho?” he asked. His gravelly voice grated against her ears and she did her best not to wince.

 

Amber took a deep breath.“That’s what I want to know myself, sir. It’s been a few days since he was captured by the Lucky One, and there’s still been no word from headquarters. In fact, I was just checking his current status in the database, and it came up as a ‘Code Blue.’ To my knowledge, that is not usually a common status. However, the system denied me access when I tried to investigate further. As current acting head of this station, in the interest of our Commander’s safety, I would like to request that I be granted temporary commander privileges and thus full database access,” she finished, fighting to keep her calm. The Supervisor remained quiet for a moment.

 

“I’m afraid I cannot allow that, Amber,” he said.

 

“But sir—“

 

“You said you’re current acting head of the station, correct?”

 

“Yes, sir, at least until Suho is recovered—”

 

“Not anymore.”

 

“Sir? I don’t understand…”

 

“Oh, it’s nothing against you, Amber. You are a very capable leader. However, this is a delicate situation, and I don’t see the need to grant yet another person access to that highly classified information when I could simply send someone else to take over who already has that clearance. You understand, right?”

 

“Yes…sir.”

 

“Excellent. I’ll let them know right away. Let your station know you’ll have visitors in about a week, and then you can hand over the keys to your station and let the… professionals… handle this.”

 

“A week sir? That fast? It usually takes about a month for most standard ships to get out to our quadrant.”

 

“Oh, they’re elite, I trust it will be no problem for them. I’m sure you’ll remember them from the Academy as well, Amber. You know Task Force B.A.P., yes?” the Supervisor asked.

 

Amber’s blood turned to ice.

 

“Goodbye, Lieutenant.” The screen turned to black as the Supervisor dropped the call.

 

Amber sat still in her seat for a minute, and then another minute, and then yet another minute. Finally, she slowly leaned over and pushed the intercom button on her desk. “Luna?” she said softly. “Get the girls and come to my office. Now, please. And then…send up the rest of the elite team members. All of them. Spread the word. Hell, screw my office, meeting in the conference room in ten. Thank you.” Amber sat back and sank down into her chair, staring blankly at her useless Level III clearance card.

* * *

 

Suho and Lay walked down yet another winding hallway. At this point, Suho was positive Sehun was leading them in circles just to deter them from creating any escape plans.

 

“Isn’t this the third time we’ve passed that vent?” Suho asked conversationally. He glanced over his shoulder to see Sehun blushing.

 

“Shut up and keep walking,” their captor grumbled, pushing Suho slightly forward. “We’re almost there.” Suho nodded thoughtfully, trying his best to keep track of their path. Now he knew for sure Sehun had been leading them around needlessly, which meant he could start trying to verify the positions of all the security cameras.

 

They walked for another few minutes before finally reaching a vast steel door. Sehun swiped his security card on the panel next to the door and the door slid open with a flourish. Awaiting them was the main bridge of the ship, and it looked like all of Kris’ closest advisors had come to the meeting as well.

 

Kris himself sat in the center of the room in the captain’s chair, this time wearing a red shirt, black leather jacket, black pants, and black combat boots. Tao stood on his left-hand side, eyes narrowed and searching the prisoners for any potential threats. Xiumin stood behind Kris, leaning casually on his chair. His once teal hair had been turned jet black in the time since Suho had last seen him.

 

Sitting in the navigator’s chair on Kris’ right was a man the RED Station members had yet to meet. His wine red hair was shaved on the sides and his wide eyes bore into Suho. His eyes were hypnotizing-as Suho looked closer, they seemed to contain a broad, slowly-shifting mountainside surrounded by rolling green hills. It was as if miniature terrariums had been set into his head. Ah, _of course_. The commander suddenly realized the man was from Gwenwyth, an ancient planet full of nature-manipulators that all contained awe-inspiring natural formations within their eyes. He had never met one of them personally, but he had heard legends of their deeds.

 

Their self-proclaimed favorite Lytian, Baekhyun, was lounging on one of the couches on the sides, his head resting on the shoulder of another man with flaming red hair. His red-haired ally looked up from a pile of metal gears he was fiddling with and grinned at the newcomers. He brushed a bit of his hair back, his hand sparking as he did so. A Pyrre dweller, Suho guessed. Next to him was a man who appeared Terran, but his right arm and left leg had been replaced with metal limbs. A cyborg, and by the looks of it, most likely from one of Terra’s colonies- Terra2, maybe. They were known for their amazing technical expertise.

 

Seated on the couch opposite them was Luhan, Kai, and Sehun, who had joined them after closing the door to the bridge.

 

Suho turned his attention back to Kris. The captain slowly sat up. He had a glimmer of something in his eyes that the commander couldn’t quite pinpoint. “Commander Suho. I’m so glad you could join us,” Kris practically purred. “Why don’t you take a seat?” he gestured towards the empty couch in front of him. Suho glanced at Lay. Lay met his eyes and gave an ever-so-slight nod of approval, so the two men slowly approached the couch and sat down. Kris grinned, clearly pleased at their acquiescence.

 

“I thought I should introduce you to my crew,” Kris continued conversationally. “You know me already: Captain Kris, ruler over this vessel.” Kris gestured to Sehun to go first. The boy scowled. “You know me too, I’m Sehun. I’m in charge of the ship’s defense systems.”

 

“I’m in charge of dealing with tech stuff, mostly. I’m good at hacking and subterfuge too,” Kai mumbled shyly. Suho wryly nodded his assent, recalling how Kai was the one who had initially spoken with him during their attack.

 

“Luhan,” Luhan breathed, smiling warmly. “Lucky One’s resident scientist.” Suho hesitantly smiled back. Lay glared.

 

“Tao. Bodyguard. We’ve been over this.”

 

“I know the hair is different, but I’m still Xiumin, head of security detail.”

 

“I thought Tao and Sehun were in charge of security?” Lay pointed out curiously.

 

Xiumin nodded. “They are, in a way. Sehun works on the defenses for outside of the ship, like our shields. I’m more in charge of physical combat, especially if things ever got precarious and moved inside our ship. I oversee Tao too.”

 

Kris gestured for the man with the mountains in his eyes to speak next.

 

“D.O.. Head navigator and head of ship communications.”

 

“He’s the one you hear bitching over the intercom all the time,” the cyborg man snickered. D.O. shot him a deadly glare and he raised his hands in a surrendering gesture.

 

“Come on, no introductions are needed for me!” Baekhyun interrupted. “Baekhyun, head inventor, remember? And this is my partner-in-crime, Chanyeol,” he added, gesturing to the man with red hair he was leaning on.

 

“I could’ve introduced myself,” Chanyeol pouted.

 

“My turn then,” the cyborg man next to him sighed, stretching dramatically. He turned towards Suho and grinned mischievously. “I’m Chen: master of the engine room, head mechanic, head engineer, the one who keeps this baby running, whatever you want to call it.”

 

“Pleased to meet all of you properly, then. I’m Commander Suho, head of the Ranger Corps El Dorado Space Station, or RED.”

 

“And I’m his companion, Doctor Lay, head medical official aboard the RED,” Lay added.

 

“Good, I’m glad we got introductions out of the way,” Kris said cheerily. There was an almost manic glint in his eyes now, and Suho didn’t like it one bit.

 

“Isn’t it a bit unusual for a captor to introduce his head crew members to his prisoners?” he questioned, raising an eyebrow.

 

“You mean only crew members,” Sehun scoffed.

 

Suho frowned. “A ship this large, and you only have ten members? How in the stars do you keep this thing running with so few people?” he asked in amazement.

 

“Oh, we have our ways,” Kris said vaguely, waving his hand. “I’m sure you’ll find out soon enough. In fact, we’re actually about to get two new crew members in the very near future.”

 

“Oh?”

 

“Indeed.” Kris leaned forward, anticipation burning across his face.

 

“And who might they be?” Suho asked cautiously.

 

“You, of course,” Kris said. His grin widened to spread across his entire face. Suho sat in stunned silence for a moment. He turned to look at Lay, whose face mirrored his own shock.

 

“Why would we ever join you?” Suho finally heard himself say.

 

“Really, you should be honored. You have no idea how many wannabes we see who think they’re cut out to join our crew. None have been the right ones-until now. You see, you and Lay have something special, Suho. Something each and every single one of the Lucky One’s crewmembers has as well. We’ve been searching across the universe for you, and we have finally found you. Whether you like it or not, your destiny to join us was written in the stars before you were even born.” Kris sat back, studying the two men in front of him carefully, awaiting their response. Suho looked around at the other crewmembers. Surely this had to be a joke. Yet none of them were laughing. Not one even cracked a smile.

 

“So all of your crew members were kidnapped and forced to join?” Lay asked eventually, looking around the room.

 

“No,” Tao responded immediately, anger flaring across his previously neutral expression.

 

“We are all here of our own free will,” Xiumin added. “This is merely an invitation that has been extended to you. Kris is right. I know it sounds insane, but we have been searching for our two final crew members, and you two are it.”

 

Every single member of Kris’ crew was staring intently at them now. There was something there Suho hadn’t seen on their faces before: hope.

 

“…No.”

“No?” Kris repeated incredulously. “What do you mean, ‘no’?”

 

“No,” Suho repeated firmer this time. “You cannot simply waltz in, attack my home, attack my officers, threaten their lives (not to mention my own life), kidnap me, hold me prisoner, and then expect me to join you in your fight against everything I have ever stood for. No. I will not join you.”

 

“Nor will I,” Lay voiced his opinion. “I agree with Suho. At my core, I am a doctor, and I help those in true peril. You endanger others wherever you go.”

 

Kris’ face grew dark. The other members began to act slightly restless, exchanging worried glances and hidden whispers.

 

“I don’t understand,” Luhan said, furrowing his brows. “Kris? Why isn’t it working?”

 

“Why isn’t what working?” Suho asked warily.

 

“I don’t know,” Kris answered Luhan. His gaze flitted across the two men’s faces. “The rest of you usually remembered something by now.”

 

“Remembered what?” Lay frowned.

 

Kris sighed. “I was hoping to avoid this… but maybe, they need a little extra push. They’ve been with the Red for far too long.” He snapped his fingers and opened his palm expectantly. Silently, Xiumin placed a small mahogany box in his waiting hand. Kris cautiously brought his arm closer and took the box with both hands. He stood up and walked towards Suho and Lay. They both stiffened and shifted slightly backwards.

 

“Suho,” Lay murmured warningly.

 

“Follow my lead,” Suho murmured back, keeping his eyes locked on Kris. The captain took a few more strides until he reached the couch where they were sitting. He held the box out towards them.

 

“Open it.”

 

“What’s in it?”

 

“Open it and you’ll find out.”

 

“With all due respect, I’m not sure I want to.”

 

“Open it!” Kris growled, his eyes flashing the same shade of gold as the scales on his temples. “Okay! Okay,” Suho acquiesced, slowly reaching for the box. He gingerly took it from Kris’ waiting hands and held it so Lay could see it as well.

 

“On three?” Suho asked Lay softly.

 

“On three,” the doctor agreed.

 

“One…”

 

“Two…”

 

“Three.” Suho braced himself and quickly flipped open the lid. Inside it was two delicate-looking crystal balls precariously perched within a bed of crushed velvet. One was blue; the other, silver. “What are these?” he asked Kris suspiciously.

 

“They’re beautiful,” Lay breathed, reaching his hand out towards the silver one. As his fingers barely brushed against the glass, the faint outline of a unicorn head materialized, suspended within the object. Lay’s eyes flashed silver. “Lay?” Suho cried out, staring at his friend. He moved the box away so the doctor’s hand would fall off the orb. Lay blinked, his eyes suddenly back to normal, and shook his head.

 

“W-What happened?” he asked dazedly. Kris was there in an instant.

 

“Lay?” The captain studied him carefully.

 

“Hm?”

 

“Do you know where you are? What did you see when you touched it?”

 

“I-I…” Lay furrowed his brows. “I saw… I don’t know what I saw. What _is_ that thing?”

 

“One of the most powerful objects in the universe,” Kris said softly. He took the box back from Suho and snapped the lid shut. “One you clearly aren’t ready to handle yet.” He turned away in disappointment. “Chen. Take them back to their cells.”

 

“But-“ Chen protested.

 

“ _Now_ ,” Kris snarled.“We’ll try again tomorrow.”

 

“What if that doesn’t work?” Luhan asked his captain cautiously.

 

“Then we keep trying until it does. It has to work. It _has_ to.”

 

“I don’t understand,” Suho said, shrugging off Chen’s grip on his shoulder. “What are you trying to do with us? What is your end game here?” He desperately looked around the room, but no one would meet his eyes.

 

“All in due time, Commander,” Kris mumbled distantly. “All in due time.”


	4. IV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops this is really short but the next one will make up for it I swear

 

“Lay?” Suho asked cautiously once they had been returned back to their cell. The doctor silently turned to him. Suho frowned. There was a haunted look in his friend’s eyes and he wouldn’t quite focus on Suho.

 

“…Hm?” Lay asked finally.

 

“Lay… What was Kris talking about? What did you ‘see’ when you touched the orb?”

 

“It was bizarre, Suho.” Lay paused as if struggling to find the right words. “When I touched it, the world around me disappeared, and I suddenly found myself standing somewhere strange. It was a dark room, barely lit by moonlight, full of gently rolling fog. There were pillars covered in strange symbols… and the _figures_. There were twelve of them, all gathered around together and wearing dark robes with hoods. One of them walked up to me, and then he removed his hood, and…” Lay trailed off and swallowed hard. “It was me. It was _my face_ under the hood. And it almost felt…familiar. Like a memory.”

 

“What the hell?” Suho murmured. He studied Lay’s face carefully.

 

“Kris called that thing ‘one of the most powerful objects in the universe,’ yet all it did is make me see some sort of delusion. I don’t understand it,” Lay continued, looking frustrated. “Nor I can I explain it.”

 

“Maybe that’s the danger of it?” Suho offered. “Somehow, they could make anyone believe whatever they wanted with that thing?”

 

“Maybe,” Lay agreed half-heartedly. “I can’t help but feel there’s something more to it, though.” Suho nodded thoughtfully.

 

“Well, at any rate, we should rest. I have no idea what time it is, but something tells me we have a long couple of days ahead of us,” Suho sighed.

 

“Okay,” Lay agreed quietly, lying down on his designated bed. Suho smiled sadly at his friend and laid down on his own. He _had_ to start coming up with an escape plan soon.

 

* * *

 

 

Lieutenant Amber paced at the head of the massive steel conference room table. Every so often, she would open her mouth as if to say something, but every time she simply shook her head, shut her mouth, and continued to pace. The heads of the RED departments stared at her silently, faces betraying their concern.

 

“Lieutenant?” someone finally voiced. Amber didn’t look up.

 

“ _Amber_ ,” another voice interrupted firmly. Amber looked up this time, freezing in her tracks at Luna’s worried expression. “Amber, please. Tell us why you’ve gathered us all here.” Amber nodded, stiffly pulling out her chair and robotically taking her seat at the head of the table.

 

“I’m sure you are all aware of the events that transpired this past week which led to the abduction of our Commander, Commander Suho,” she began. “Earlier today, I spoke with the Supervisor in regards to the Corps’ future plans for this station. The answer he gave me… is not one any of us wanted to hear.” Luna nodded encouragingly. Amber took a deep breath. “In a week’s time, I will no longer be the acting head of this station.” At that, cries of outrage broke out amongst the members. “Calm down, please! Let me explain. It wasn’t my decision. The Supervisor has decided to send someone else from the Corps to oversee the repairs of the station and the reacquisition of our leader.”

 

“So what’s the problem?” Hongbin asked.

 

“They’re sending B.A.P..” There was a collective intake of shocked gasps throughout the room. The older officers looked horrified, but the younger members look positively _elated_ -then confused at the clear dismay of their superiors. Jimin hesitantly raised his hand.

 

“What’s the problem with that?” he asked. “I mean, B.A.P. were practically legends at the Academy.”

 

Amber took a moment to collect her thoughts. “You’re right. They were…once. I grew up with them and trained with them all those years ago. They were incredibly talented, and their unit quickly graduated before everyone else’s. They had so much potential, acing task after task assigned to them.

 

“But after a while, things started to change. The Ranger Corps had new ideas about how to make their teams even more efficient than ever before, and they decided to test it out on B.A.P. first. B.A.P. began to change. The members: Himchan, Youngjae, Daehyun, Jongup, Zelo, and their leader, Yongguk, became almost robotic. They stopped recognizing their friends and they stopped registering normal human emotions. Last I saw them, they were no longer the men I used to know in any capacity. And they’ve only gotten worse since. I fear the experiments went too far and took away ever little shred of humanity left in them, which makes me worry about how they’ll handle the recovery of Suho. Someone, or more likely lots of someones, could get hurt.”

 

Jimin took a moment to regard her words.

 

“I hope at least those who used to know B.A.P. and have witnessed their transformation themselves understand how crucial it is we do not let them get their way. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying we should rebel against the Corps, but I need everyone to be on their toes and to be ready to engage in battle at a moment’s notice from me,” Amber explained seriously, looking around the table. “So… who’s with me? If you’re not, I understand. Walk away right now and you can pretend you never heard any of my concerns. But pledge your support, and I promise you, we will get our Commander and our head doctor back _safely_.”

 

“Me,” Luna said instantly. “I’m with you. And you know Victoria, Sulli, and Krystal are behind you as well. Hell, all of the security team will have your back in battle.”

 

“We’re with you,” Hani agreed. “Hongbin and I have the whole support of the navigation team behind us.” Hongbin nodded enthusiastically.

 

“I may not have known B.A.P. like you, but I trust you, Lieutenant,” Jimin chimed in. “You’ve got my computer expertise.”

 

“And mine,” Hyuk added.

 

“The doctors are with you,” Doctor Leo said softly.

 

“So are the gunners!” Heechul piped up.

 

“And the science department, _of course_ ,” Moonbyul scoffed. V nodded vigorously and flashed Amber a grin.

 

One by one, every officer in the room raised their voice in support of Amber.

 

“Thank you,” Amber whispered. “Thank you, all of you. I don’t know what’s going to happen in a week, but I feel much better knowing you are all by my side.”

 

“Relax, Lieutenant,” Luna said, grabbing her hand and squeezing it. “We’ll get them back safe and sound. And who knows? Maybe we can help free B.A.P. along the way too.”

 


	5. V

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An update so soon? I know, it's a miracle.

The foundation of Suho’s escape plan came much sooner than he thought, and in a much more unexpected form than he had anticipated.

 

“Rise and shine, sleepyheads!” a loud voice echoed throughout their cell. Suho blearily blinked opened his eyes and squinted at the harsh white light emanating from the ceiling. He rolled over to see Lay already awake and sitting upright on his bed.

 

“What’s happening?” Suho mumbled sleepily.

 

“Morning!” the voice said again cheerily. Suho slowly sat up, still a bit disoriented, and glanced towards the doorway. Standing there was Chen the engineer, grinning madly and waving. “You awake now, Commander?”

 

“Barely,” he sighed. “What does Captain Kris want now?”

 

“Captain thinks it would be a good idea for you to start getting more integrated into the ship. He wants you to spend the next couple of days accompanying some of the crewmembers in their daily tasks,” Chen explained eagerly.

 

“If he thinks this will sway us towards joining your side, it won’t,” Suho replied flatly. Chen shrugged.

 

“Captain’s orders,” he replied, smiling again to cover up for whatever emotion briefly flashed across his face. Was it…hurt, maybe? _Stop thinking like that_ , Suho scolded himself internally. They were criminals who kidnapped him, no matter how nice they may have appeared.

 

“Fine. Where are we going first?” he asked, standing up and stretching.

 

“Lay is with Luhan first. You’re starting with Xiumin,” he responded.

 

“You’re separating us?”

 

“Yep. Think of it like getting a breath of fresh air and being around new people for once.”

 

“Okay,” Suho assented slowly. “Are you escorting us there?”

 

“I will in a minute. First-“ Chen touched the now-familiar security panel with his metal hand and the cell door slid open, “-I need to see your arm.”

 

“My arm?” Suho frowned. He glanced down at the metal box Chen was carrying. “What is that?”

 

“Just a little tracker,” the engineer responded casually, setting the box down on the bed and opening it to reveal two hypodermic needles.

 

“Are those sanitary?” Lay asked suspiciously.

 

“Of course they are,” Chen frowned.

 

“Fine, just get it over with quickly,” Suho sighed, rolling up the tattered grey-blue sleeve of his commander uniform. Chen picked up the needle, then looked at Suho’s shirt and winced slightly.

 

“Oh, um… I can get you some new clothes too. And…maybe a shower? No offense.”

 

Suho heard himself chuckle. “None taken. That would be greatly appreciated. Thank you, Chen.” Chen grinned back mischievously and reached for Suho’s arm.

 

The instant they made contact, Chen’s metal hand suddenly sparked and they both pulled away, crying out at the brief flash of pain they experienced.

 

“I’m sorry!” Chen gasped, cradling his hand. “I’m sorry. That’s never happened before.” He frowned at the metal appendage, tilting in back and forth contemplatively.

 

Suho winced and rubbed his arm. “I’m fine, I’m fine…” he insisted, his words mostly directed towards the worried Lay who had run over to inspect him.

 

“You’re fine when I say you’re fine,” Lay snorted. “But yes, you’re fine.” He held out his hand to Chen. “Here, give me the needle. I’ll do it.”

 

Chen looked at Lay in disbelief, raising an eyebrow. Lay stared back impassively. Slowly, Chen outstretched his arm and dropped the needle into Lay’s waiting hand. The doctor nodded his thanks and turned his attention back to the Commander, quickly injecting the tracker into his arm before taking the other needle and doing the same for himself. “There. All done. Now, you said something about showers?”

 

“Showers!” Chen agreed cheerily. “Come on, follow me.” He began to lead the two out of the cell. “You can use the old community showers. No one else is scheduled to be awake right now, so you’ll have the place all to yourselves.”

 

“You have scheduled sleeping times?” Suho asked curiously.

 

“They’re not _scheduled_ per say, but we have so few crew members that someone has to be awake at all times to look over the ship—kind of like the security night shift at your station,” Chen explained. “Except most of your station members stay awake at the same time and sleep at the same time, right? We can sleep as much or as little as we want, so long as it’s not during our scheduled time slot.”

 

“How do you keep track of time when you’re in deep space like this?” Lay wondered aloud.

 

“Oh, that’s easy. You see how all the security panels have a light glowing above them? The light changes colors to indicate the time. Right now we’re in Yellow, which means it’s my turn to be awake. Next is Blue, when Xiumin and Luhan are awake. Purple is for Chanyeol and Kris, Pink is for Baekhyun and Sehun, and Green is for Kai, D.O., and Tao,” Chen rattled off. Suho mentally filed away that information for later use. Blue, Purple, and Green seemed like bad times for an escape attempt. Pink was a viable option if Sehun would stop acting so suspicious of them. Yellow, though…

 

“You’re alone?” Suho noted with surprise.

 

“Oh…yeah. I don’t…need as much sleep as the other members. Since I’m half-metal and all,” Chen said hesitantly. “So I don’t have to worry about needing someone else to keep me awake.”

 

“Your brain is still fully human, is it not?” Lay pointed out drily. Chen laughed awkwardly.

 

“You got me. The metal limbs are…kind of a recent addition. I was in an…accident, one might say. The others couldn’t have done anything to prevent it, but I think they still feel guilty when they see me. So I scheduled myself for all the lone shifts until it all blows over,” Chen murmured, glancing down at his metal arm and leg as he spoke.

 

“…I’m sorry,” Suho said, unsure of what else to say.

 

“Nah, like I said, it was just an accident. Nothing to worry about now!” Chen told him brightly. Suho studied his face carefully. Chen was a terrible liar, but Suho wasn’t going to push him about it. He needed to focus on escaping, no matter how much the little voice in the back of mind was insisting he get to know Chen better. “Anyways, here we are!” he announced, stopping in front of a nearby door. “I present to you: the community showers, in all their glory. I’ll leave some fresh clothes out for you too. By the time you’re done, it’ll probably be Blue, so I’ll tell Xiumin and Luhan to come get you.” With a wave and a Cheshire-like grin, Chen pushed them into the showers and locked the door behind them.

 

“So much for the trackers,” Lay muttered, eyeing the lock with distaste.

 

“Come on, Lay,” Suho chuckled, pulling his shirt off. “Lighten up. A shower will do you some good.” Lay rolled his eyes but smiled back, pulling off his own clothes and enjoying the hot water the showers provided.

 

True to his word, once they finished, the pair found clean clothes Chen had laid out for them in the changing room. Suho now wore a white shirt, black pants, and a suspiciously pristine old Corps commander jacket. It was outdated, but he appreciated the sentiment (and the aesthetic of the vintage look) nonetheless. Lay was begrudgingly pleased at his new all-black ensemble, even more so at the crisp white doctor’s coat Chen had somehow managed to procure for him. Soon after they finished changing, the door slid open to reveal Xiumin and Luhan. Luhan grinned, his silver tattoos swirling wildly at his excitement. Xiumin simply nodded his head in greeting.

 

“Lay, you’re with me!” Luhan chirped. “Or, sorry, is it Doctor? We’ll be in the lab for the rest of Blue. I have some specimens I’m rather curious about, and I was wondering if you might be able to help me identify them!”

 

“Lay is fine,” the doctor told Luhan. “I don’t mind either way.”

 

“Wonderful!” Luhan exclaimed, grabbing Lay’s wrist and suddenly dragging him down the hall.

 

“I’ll see you later!” Suho called after them. He fought to keep a smile off his face as Lay sent him an irritated look. Xiumin shook his head and sighed fondly.

 

“Well, there go our science boys,” he told Suho. “I’m afraid our time together may be much less exciting than theirs. I’m on security duty right now, so you’ll have to accompany me. Since Sehun won’t be up until Pink—damn kid, always sleeping even when he has other things he could be doing—we’ll be monitoring the ship in the main bridge.” The two took off down the winding hallways. Suho once again began to try to memorize the layout of the ship, but Xiumin seemed to be a master at distracting him just when he started to make progress.

 

After about five minutes of walking they finally reached the bridge. Xiumin went first, swiping his card on the security panel and gesturing for Suho to enter. “It’s usually pretty empty—” he started, suddenly stopping when he noticed the figure sitting in the captain’s chair. “Oh, Kri—Captain. Didn’t know you were awake right now. Blue just started,” Xiumin said, blinking in surprise. Kris looked up from his place and frowned when he realized who was accompanying Xiumin.

 

“Ah. I was just leaving,” he said, standing up and grabbing his coat. “Notify me if anything happens, as usual.” Before Suho could get in a single word, Kris swept out of the room.

 

“Ignore him,” Xiumin muttered. “He’s just under a lot of pressure right now.”

 

“Well, I should imagine so. He did attack a Corps base and kidnap one of its commanders,” Suho pointed out mildly. Xiumin snorted.

 

“Yeah, he did. He had good reason to, though. You’ll understand sooner or later.”

 

Suho raised an eyebrow in disbelief, but chose not to comment further. Something told him Xiumin was not a person he wanted to get into an argument with. Instead, he sat down on one of the couches and watched as Xiumin pressed a few buttons on the main computer. The lights in the room flashed blue. “ **Welcome, Minseok** ,” a female computerized voice announced.

 

“Minseok?” Suho asked curiously. Xiumin paused and glanced over his shoulder back at Suho.

 

“You Corps commanders aren’t the only ones who get honorary titles when you accomplish something,” Xiumin said finally. “Minseok is my birth name. Xiumin is the title my people of Hollremn gave me. In our language, it means ‘Survivor.’” Suho waited for him to continue, but it seemed that was all the information Xiumin—or rather, Minseok—was willing to give at the moment.

 

“…Suho is an honorary title too,” Suho confessed.

 

“I know,” Xiumin responded simply.

 

“It means ‘Guardian.’”

 

“Hm. It’s very fitting of you,” the frost-wielder said decisively, nodding as if he knew something Suho didn’t.

 

“If it means anything, Xiumin seems very fitting of you too,” Suho offered. Xiumin looked back once more and gave him a rare smile.

 

“Thank you, Guardian,” he told Suho seriously. “If you’d prefer, you may call me Minseok, though.”

 

Suho decided he liked Minseok quite a bit. Maybe in another world, they could’ve even been friends. “Here,” Minseok said suddenly, gesturing for Suho to come over to his side. Suho obliged and looked towards the screen Minseok indicated to him

 

“Is that…Lay?” Suho asked, squinting at the security camera footage playing on the screen.

 

“And Luhan,” Minseok confirmed. “See? They’re both fine.” Suho flashed Minseok a grateful look and watched as Lay and Luhan both bent over a steel lab table and took turns using a microscope to inspect something. “Luhan was a pretty prestigious scientist before he joined the crew,” Minseok continued unexpectedly. “I knew him before we _both_ joined the crew. I left my home planet at a fairly young age, and I stumbled across him on his home planet in the course of my travels. He’s from Sybll, if you couldn’t already tell. That’s why he has those silver tattoo things all over his body. All his people do—just in different colors. They reflect emotions. Luhan…he’s always been naturally curious. I can barely remember a time when his tattoos weren’t reacting to his excitement at something.” He smiled faintly and gazed down at the monitor thoughtfully. “I don’t know what I’d do without him. I doubt I ever would have found Kris if it weren’t for him.”

 

Suho suddenly understood. “You’re in love with him.”

 

“I—yes.” Minseok looked at Suho in surprise. “Is it…is it that obvious?”

 

“I can see it in the way you look at him.”

 

“Are you in love with Lay? He seems pretty protective of you.”

 

“No. Lay and I do love each other, yes, but it’s a brotherly love. We’ve known each for a long time,” Suho explained. “We trained for the Corps together. We’ve seen each other at our best and at our worst.”

 

Minseok nodded slowly. “Makes sense,” he mumbled distractedly to himself. “Fits with the legend.”

 

“The what?” Suho looked up from the monitor and furrowed his brow.

 

“Nothing,” Minseok dismissed quickly. “I was just thinking aloud.”

 

“Does this ‘legend’ have to do with those orbs you gave us yesterday?” Suho asked suspiciously.

 

“Perhaps.”

 

Suho let out a small noise of frustration at Minseok’s refusal to directly answer his query. He turned back to the monitor and looked at Lay once more before letting his gaze subtly drift across the other monitors present on the bridge. There was the cellblock where they were staying: he could recognize it thanks to the messy sheets and the case for the needles Chen had evidently forgotten on his bed earlier. The feed was marked with a small 6A in the corner. So assuming the feeds were, logically, numbered in terms of proximity to each other, that meant the closest escape pod to their cell must be… _there_ , the one marked 6H! Suho triumphantly made note of its location. It was in the hall that had three vents instead of two like most of the others—he recognized it from his various trips while being escorted through the halls. Now all he needed was an opportune moment to inspect it and a subsequent plan to get himself and Lay off the Lucky One.

 

 _“Shit_ , _”_ Minseok suddenly snarled. Suho looked up at him in surprise.

 

“Is something wrong?” he asked casually, praying Minseok hadn’t noticed his silent scheming.

 

“Look up,” Minseok growled, pointing towards the huge window that overlooked the entire bridge. Suho looked up.

 

 _“Shit,”_ Suho echoed. The Lucky One was approaching an asteroid field—and fast.

 

“I don’t understand,” Minseok said, frustratedly looking over the ship’s controls. “The scanners should have warned us. But they didn’t. It’s too late to move off course. I need to wake everyone up. We need out best pilots on deck if we have any hope of getting away from this field relatively unscathed.” He raced over to the other side of the bridge’s controls and accessed a new panel, quickly typing in a few things before the entire bridge’s blue lights turned a deep, eerie red. An alarm began to wail, a horrible screeching noise that pierced Suho’s ears as if they were needles digging into his skull.

 

 **“Warning,”** the computerized voice from earlier chimed over the alarm. **“Warning. All crew members report to the bridge at once. Warning. This is not a drill. Warning.”** Suho helplessly backed up, looking around wildly as the sudden onslaught of sounds attacked his eardrums mercilessly.

 

The bridge door suddenly slid open to reveal the other crew members, all racing in in various states of tiredness and disarray. “What the hell, Xiumin?” Kris snapped. “You’d better have a good reason for setting off the emergency alarm.”

 

“Is _that_ enough of a reason for you, _Captain_?” Minseok snapped back, gesturing at the window and the steadily approaching asteroid field.

 

 **“Warning,”** the alarm chimed unhelpfully.

 

D.O. pushed past a stunned Kris and slid into the navigator’s chair. Lay appeared from behind Luhan and made his way towards Suho while Sehun ran up to join Xiumin.

 

“But where did it come from?” Kris asked dumbly. He narrowed his eyes and whirled around, searching for someone in the crowd. As soon as his eyes found Chen he gave the latter a nasty glare. “I thought you said you fixed the glitches in the system ages ago,” he accused angrily. The golden scales on his temples glittered menacingly when bathed in the red light of the warning system.

 

“I did!” Chen protested. “It should be fine.”

 

“Well clearly it’s not, since we’re headed into the middle of a _fucking asteroid field_ without warning—”

 

**“Warning.”**

 

“Captain!” D.O. interrupted. “Not the time.”

 

Kris shook his head and composed himself. He stalked over to the captain’s chair and took a seat, carefully analyzing the situation. “D.O.. I want you to do your best to start charting a course for us. You’re our best pilot; we’ll follow your lead. Sehun, work on getting those shields up to full power. Something tells me we’ll be needing them soon. Xiumin, you keep helping Sehun and monitoring the rest of the ship’s stats. Baekhyun, you have quick reflexes—I want you to be on standby to help D.O. pilot if needed. The rest of you, strap in. Except Chen—you escort Suho and Doctor Lay back to their cell.”

 

A tense air fell across the bridge. “Captain, I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Chanyeol spoke up nervously. “We should just let them strap down into the spare seats here. By the time Chen gets them there, we may already be in the field, and he won’t have enough time to make it back here safely—”

 

“Did I ask for your opinion, Chanyeol? Chen is going to take our guests back and then return here. He’ll be fine,” Kris insisted coldly. Chen swallowed hard and nodded his assent, flashing Chanyeol an apologetic look before he turned to Suho and Lay.

 

**“Warning.”**

 

“Come on.” Chen jerked his head towards the door. For once, neither Suho nor Lay complained or even hesitated one bit. The trio practically sprinted down the hall back towards the cellblock. The ship itself seemed to hum with a nervous energy, although that was most likely from the amount of power Sehun was no doubt diverting into the shields and thrusters.

 

**“Warning.”**

 

“Get in,” Chen ordered once they reached the cell. Suho and Lay quickly slipped inside and watched as Chen closed the glass panel, effectively sealing them in yet again. “Under the cots—emergency harnesses. They’ll connect with the back wall,” Chen quickly explained. The ship began to violently shake beneath their feet. “I’ll be back to check on you once we get through the field—”

 

Before he could finish his words, the Lucky One violently lurched to the side, sending all three men sprawling onto the ground.

 

**“Warning.”**

 

“ _Fuck,”_ Chen groaned, pulling himself up. “We must have just entered the field—” The ship groaned and shuddered, suddenly tilting the other way. It all happened in an instant. Chen slid across the ground, his head crashing into the wall with a sickening crack. The engineer gasped, whimpering in pain as he brought his hand to his head and pulled it away just in time to watch crimson liquid drip off the cool grey metal.

 

**“Warning.”**

 

Chen’s eyes rolled into the back of his head and he collapsed. His body slowly slid down the side of the wall.

 

A horrible red trail of blood slid along the wall with him.

 

**“Warning.”**

 

The instant Chen fell unconscious, Suho gasped and fell to the ground as well, clutching his own head. “Suho!” Lay cried. The doctor tried to drag himself over to his commander as the ship rocked back and forth. “Suho, please, what happened? Suho!” he shook Suho’s shoulder, but the commander simply shut his eyes, grabbing at his head and sobbing. Lay stared helplessly at Suho. He didn’t know what to do. He didn’t know what to _do_. He didn’t know what was _happening._ Panic welled up inside of his chest. “Junmyeon, _please_ ,” Lay whispered to his friend. Lay curled an arm around Suho and began to crawl towards one of their cots, desperately dragging him and searching for the safety harness Chen had mentioned.

 

**“Warning. Warning. _Warning_.” **

 

Back inside the bridge, a small blue orb began to glow within its box.

 


	6. VI

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> guess who's alive

As soon as Chen took the prisoners off to their cell, the rest of the crew immediately ran to their designated seats and strapped in, beginning to carry out their tasks assigned by Kris.

 

 **“Warning,”** the automated voice continued to drone.

 

D.O. strapped into his seat and pressed a few buttons located on the armrest of his chair. Instantly, several holographic screens appeared in front of him and he began to carefully study them, adjusting a few things with his armrest control panel every now and then.

 

“What’s our status?” Kris asked him quietly.

 

“Not good,” D.O. replied grimly. “There’s no way around it at this point. I’m just trying to calculate a path of least resistance. Jongd—Chen sure is going to have his work cut out for him with repairs by the time we get through this thing.” He pressed a few more buttons before nodding in satisfaction. “Okay. I think I got it. I’m going to have to do this manually.”

 

Kris nodded his understanding. “Sehun, Minseok, keep those shields up as long as you can. Baekhyun, you on standby?”

 

“Yes, sir,” all three chorused nervously. The rest of the bridge watched in tense silence as the floating screens in front of D.O. converged into one giant screen. Gingerly the navigator held out his hands in front of the screen and narrowed his eyes. His irises and palms began to glow the same shade of light blue as the screen.

 

 **“Manual flight mode engaged. Welcome, Kyungsoo,”** the automated voice announced. The ship hummed as Sehun adjusted a few controls and diverted more power into the ship’s shields and engine.

 

**“Warning.”**

 

“Hold on,” D.O. said suddenly. “We’re entering the field in three, two, one—”

 

His right pinky twitched to the side and the entire ship violently tilted to avoid a particularly large asteroid. The crewmembers watched as more and more asteroids began to fly past the windows, wincing at the fierce shaking of the ship. D.O. raised his right index finger along with his pinky and tilted his hand slightly. The ship was sent swinging the other way.

 

The entire deck suddenly felt a horrible chilling feeling, tight and deep within their chests.

 

**“Warning. Warning. _Warning_.” **

 

“ _Jongdae,”_ Kris gasped. The captain struggled to undo his safety harness and pressed a few buttons on his armrest. A panel opened up in the other armrest and he pulled out a small steel box, quickly removing the top to reveal a small golden orb nestled inside. “Xiumin! You’re in charge. I’m going to get them.” The captain pressed the orb to his heart and it seemed to dissolve into his chest.

 

A moment later, Kris’ feet lifted off the ground.

 

With a sense of practiced ease he spun around and flew out of the bridge, tilting as best he could with the ship’s movements to avoid crashing into the walls.

 

“Chen!” he shouted over the din. “Commander Suho? Doctor Lay?” he turned a corner only to be greeted with the sight of Chen, bloody and unmoving on the floor, and a sobbing Suho collapsed on top of Lay.

 

“Captain Kris,” Lay breathed, looking up at him. Kris flew over and touched down on the ground. He urgently opened the cell door then turned to Chen. Carefully, he reached out and took the limp cyborg into his arms. A small glance over his shoulder informed Kris that Lay had managed to force Suho to his feet and the two were weakly following behind the captain.

 

“To the bridge!” Kris called to Lay.

 

“They need the infirmary!” Lay protested.

 

“Please, doctor, I know I have given you no reason to trust me before now, but trust that I at the very least have Chen’s best interests at heart,” Kris retorted. “To the bridge.”

 

“…To the bridge,” Lay agreed, dipping his head in acknowledgement. He tightened his grip around Suho and continued to support his commander through the hallways back towards the bridge. It wasn’t easy with the constant rocking of the ship, but somehow, by some miracle, they made it back without any more injuries other than a few minor bruises here and there.

 

Inside, D.O. was furiously controlling the ship, his fingers moving delicately and precisely like a puppet master controlling his prized marionette. All members but him turned around to see Kris and the others appear.

 

“Chen!” they all cried. “Suho!”

 

“Kris,” Luhan said, frowning. “Is he—”?

 

“I think so,” Kris confirmed. “It wasn’t this violent with the rest of us, so that must mean—”

 

“—Just like we predicted.” Luhan nodded. “Okay. Put them down on the couches and strap them in there.” Kris seemed to forget his rank as captain and followed Luhan’s orders without a second thought.

 

“Xiumin?” Kris called, floating over to him with a palm extended. Minseok’s eyes lit up with recognition and he pulled a familiar box out of his pocket, placing it in Kris’ outstretched hand. Kris flew back to where a whimpering Suho was laid out on one of the couches.

 

Slowly, ever so slowly, Kris opened the box. The orb within it glowed a brilliant royal blue. The captain gestured for Lay to stand next to him.

 

“Put the orb over his heart,” Kris ordered softly.

 

Lay stared at Kris blankly.

 

Then he reached into the box, took the orb, and hesitantly placed it over Suho’s heart.

 

The orb rested there for a moment before it slowly sank down into his chest. Lay gasped. “What—” he started. The ship tilted again and Kris caught the doctor before he could go tumbling.

 

“Just let him rest,” Kris murmured, giving Lay’s shoulders a gentle squeeze of reassurance. “I promise, it’s going to help him.”

 

The two stood there, watching with bated breath as Suho’s eyes turned blue before slowly flickering shut. On the other couch, Chen’s eyes opened and turned yellow.

 

* * *

 

 

“Guardian.”

 

Suho frowned when he recognized a familiar voice whispering in his ear. His eyes opened to see…nothing. Pure darkness surrounded him.

 

“…Mama?” he asked. An amused chuckle thrummed through the space.

 

“That’s right, Guardian. It’s me. Mama.”

 

“Who are you? Where are you? Where am I? What is this place?” Suho rambled.

 

“Patience, Guardian. One question at a time. I am Mama. I am a spirit that resides throughout the universe, tying all life and light together. I am everywhere and nowhere. You are somewhere where I can speak to you away from prying ears and eyes, a sort of plane of my own creation.”

 

“Why do you want to speak to me?” he asked curiously.

 

“A great evil is coming to the universe,” Mama said sadly. “There are some who have been destined since the beginning of time itself to put an end to it.”

 

“And you think I’m one of those people?” Suho asked, surprised. “I’m just a commander who sits around in an inept station all day. I’m sorry, but I think you have the wrong person.”

 

“I do not make mistakes,” Mama replied. “You are my Guardian. You have the Heart.”

 

“The Heart?”

 

“’When the skies and grounds were one, the Legends, through their twelve forces, nurtured the Tree of Life. An Eye of Red Force created the Evil which coveted the Heart of the Tree of Life, and the Heart slowly grew dry. To tend and embrace the Heart of the Tree of Life, the Legends hereby divide the Tree in half and hide each side, hence time is overturned and space turns askew. The twelve forces divide into two and create two suns that look alike into two worlds that seem alike. The Legends travel apart. The Legends shall now see the same sky but stand on different grounds, shall stand on the same ground but see different skies. The day the grounds be kept a single file before one sky in two worlds that seem alike, the Legends will greet each other. The day the Red force is purified and the twelve forces reunite into one new root, a new world shall open up.’

 

“That is the prophecy that foretold your coming, Guardian,” Mama whispered. “If you do not believe me, then let me show you…”

 

The black void Suho had been staring into suddenly morphed into an image. A room full of rolling fog, occupied by twelve robed figures, appeared. They stood there, frozen, then began to move as if Suho were unpausing a movie.

 

“Are you sure you want to do this?” one of the figures asked. Suho thought the voice sounded vaguely familiar.

 

“What choice do we have?” another figure spoke up. “They are willing to make this sacrifice. We all are. We should let them do it now, before we begin to doubt our decisions.”

 

“It’s not _your_ decision—”

 

“It’s okay. He’s right. We’re ready.” Two figures stepped out of line and faced each other. One removed his hood and Suho gasped.

 

It was Chen.

 

One by one, the other figures removed their hoods.

 

Kris.

 

Luhan.

 

Minseok.

 

Baekhyun.

 

Chanyeol.

 

D.O..

 

Kai.

 

Sehun.

 

Tao.

 

Yixing…

 

The final figure with his hood still on stood opposite of Chen. A pit of dread grew in Suho’s stomach.

 

“No,” Suho mumbled. “It can’t be.”

 

The figure removed his hood.

 

It was Suho himself.

 

The vision vanished and Suho was thrown into darkness once more.

 

“Do you see now, Guardian?” Mama asked solemnly. “It is you. It was always you. Half of the Heart is within you. Be sure to protect it.”

 

The darkness began to shift into a bright blue light.

 

“Wait. No! I still have so many questions!” Suho called desperately. Something in his heart, however, told him that Mama was no longer there.

 

* * *

 

Chen was sitting in a field. He decided he quite liked this field. Warm sunshine beat down from the sky above, a gentle breeze ruffling his hair playfully. It was much better than some of the other places he had visited before.

 

He took a sip from a cup of tea he had found waiting for him. Something shifted in the air and he slowly placed the cup back down. “Well?” he asked expectantly.

 

“You are so impatient, my Heart,” a voice chastised him.

 

“Sorry, Mama,” he sighed. “It’s just…”

 

“Your halves are calling to each other. The Heart does not wish to be separated any longer than it must be. I understand.”

 

“Does he remember yet?”

 

Mama stayed silent.

 

“Mama. Please.”

 

“…Yes and no, dear one.”

 

“What do you mean by that?”

 

“He knows his place. He knows the prophecy. But until you two reunite your halves, neither of you will be able to fully remember.”

 

“…So he doesn’t remember either.”

 

“He will in time. As will you. You have the other Legends to protect you now.”

 

“…Thank you, Mama.” Chen took another sip of tea. “I think I’ll remain here for a little bit before I go back.” Mama sighed fondly.

 

“Don’t stay for too long, dear one.”

 

“I won’t.”

 

* * *

 

They were finally out of the asteroid field.

 

Everyone had removed their safety harnesses and stretched before finding a place to lounge around the bridge. No one wanted to leave the unconscious men alone.

 

“So.”

 

Kris’ head whipped to the side as he turned to look at Lay who had spoken up. “…Yes?” he asked warily.

 

“Tell me what’s going on,” Lay demanded.

 

“I can’t.”

 

“Why not?”

 

“Because—Look, I can’t explain it, but I _can’t_. I would if I could.”

 

“You can’t explain why my commander just absorbed a tiny glowing crystal ball into his chest?”

 

“No.” Kris looked frustrated.

 

“Give me my orb.”

 

“…What?” The entire crew looked at Lay in confusion.

 

“Give me my orb,” he repeated. “You wanted me to remember something, right? And that’s the thing you can’t tell me? So give me my orb. I want to try again.”

 

“I don’t think—”

 

Before Kris could finish speaking, Minseok marched over to Lay and placed the box in the doctor’s hand. He nodded, ignoring Kris’ furious spluttering at the other’s disobedience.

 

“Here goes nothing,” Lay muttered. He opened the box, touched the orb, and promptly collapsed to the ground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo, more vague info and collapsing in this chapter, apparently


	7. VII

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bet you weren't expecting an update so soon, huh?

For the second time that week, Suho woke up to the sight of a worried Lay leaning over him.

 

“Commander,” the doctor breathed in relief. “You’re awake.”

 

Suho squinted at the harsh ceiling lights flooding his vision and struggled to sit up. Lay quickly placed a hand on his back, gently easing him into a sitting position. Suho glanced around the room they were in, quickly taking note of the white sterile space full of beds and the cabinets full of strange bottles and equipment he didn’t quite recognize.

 

“…Where are we?” Suho mumbled.

 

“The infirmary. Do you remember what happened?”

 

“I…the asteroid field…Chen collapsed…and then…” Suho frowned and wracked his brain for more information. “I think I blacked out? Did I hit my head when the ship tilted?”

 

“You did black out,” Lay confirmed gently. “But it was from something else.”

 

Suho grimaced. “I…I think I saw it. The room you mentioned when you saw when you touched the orb. The one with the fog, and the hooded figures…” He trailed off and swallowed hard. “And myself. I saw myself too.”

 

Lay paused and looked as if he were trying to figure out how to word his next statement. “Suho…when you were…asleep, I tried touching the orb again. And I saw some things too. I…I need to tell you something.” Suho frowned and reached out a hand, placing it on Lay’s shoulder comfortingly.

 

“You know you can tell me anything,” he told his friend. “What is it?”

 

“Can I take you somewhere first?” Lay asked.

 

“Lay. Is everything okay?” Suho asked.

 

“Everything’s fine, I swear. I just need you to come with me,” Lay said. Suho stared at him for a moment before slowly nodding his assent.

 

“…Okay. I trust you,” he said. Lay smiled distantly and helped pull Suho out of the infirmary bed. He led Suho to the door and supported him through the winding hallways with ease until they finally reached a familiar door.

 

“The bridge?” Suho noted, wrinkling his nose in confusion. Lay simply nodded and reached out his hand. He pressed it to the security panel next to the door and it slid open, accepting his handprint as if he were just another crew member.

 

“Wha—” Suho started, stopping once he noticed all of Kris’ crew was gathered around the couches inside.

 

“Take a seat, Commander,” Kris said, gesturing to the empty couch in the center. Suho warily approached, still leaning on Lay. The doctor gently helped Suho sit down and sat next to him. Suho looked around the room. A heavy tension filled the air: one he couldn’t quite pinpoint the source of. It felt eerily like the first time he and Lay had been invited to join Kris and his crew in the bridge just a few days prior. None of the crewmembers would look him in the eye.

 

Chen sat away from everyone else, clenching his fists and staring dazedly at the floor. Suho curiously noted there was not a single sign of the earlier head trauma he had received.

 

“What’s going on?” Suho finally voiced. By that point, his heart was beginning to race and his throat was dry. Maybe they brainwashed Lay after all. Maybe they were going to brainwash him too, or maybe the Corps finally tracked him down, or maybe they were going to _kill him_ —

 

“Does the name Mama mean anything to you?” Kris asked. Suho froze.

 

“…No,” he said. At his side, Lay shifted uncomfortably.

 

“It’s okay, Suho,” he murmured. “I’ve seen her too.”

 

Suho blinked.

 

“…I had a dream,” he said. “A-A delusion, nothing more.”

 

“It wasn’t a delusion, Commander,” Kris said. “Deep down, you know it to be true.”

 

“But it can’t be true!” Suho burst out. “It’s ridiculous. I’m not some hero. None of you are either. I’ve been drugged or something—”

“We would never stoop so low,” Kris growled. “We are not the Red.”

 

“Why would my own station drug me,” Suho scoffed.

“Not the RED, though that was rather clever on their part,” Kris chuckled bitterly. “The _Red._ The Evil that is threatening to take over the galaxy as we know it. Just like Mama told you.”

 

Suho narrowed his eyes in disbelief. “Okay,” he said. “Let’s say, just for the hell of it, I believe you. Go ahead and explain it to me. What is this evil and what do all of you have to do with it?”

 

“A long time ago,” Lay said suddenly, “there was a planet. A planet named EXO. And on this planet there was a tree that housed the spirit of Mama. It was called the Tree of Life, because from this tree all of creation was born. The thing that gave the Tree its abilities was called its Heart. The Heart was good and kind, the purest form of Mama in existence. All of Mama’s creations loved her and cared for the Tree and its Heart. Until one day, a small group of people began to grow jealous. They coveted the Tree’s power. ‘Why should Mama alone have it?’ they grumbled. ‘We have been loyal. Surely we deserve some power of our own.’

 

“So they left EXO and began to amass an army. They planned to raid EXO and take the Heart for themselves. Desperate to protect the Tree, Mama called upon twelve individuals to come to her aid. They came to be known as the Legends, because they were blessed with powers beyond that of any creation of hers that came before.

 

“The Legends trained and trained until they were finally ready to face the growing threat in battle. The threat became known as the Evil, and the Evil became known as the Red, and their army became known as the Red Force, because those that fought against Mama had glowing red veins as a result of a horrible serum they created in an attempt to match the power of the Legends’ gifts.

 

“The day of the battle came. Yet unlike most stories, there was no victory for the good. Blood soaked the battlefield. The Legends were beaten down again and again, but the Red Force would not stop producing more soldiers. Defeat seemed inevitable. So they did what they had to in order to protect the Tree. The Legends escaped to the center of the Tree—the room full of rolling fog—and divided the Heart in half. Half of it was placed in one of the Legends, and the other half in another. Mama used the last of her power to ensure that the Legends would be reborn in another time, the Heart’s halves still within its protectors, until the day they could be reunited once more. To help them, she also placed their powers within special orbs, only to be used by their true owners.”

 

“And you think I’m one of the Legends,” Suho surmised. “You think I’ve been reborn, and am supposed to help protect the galaxy from the Red.”

 

“How many people are in this room, Suho?” Luhan said softly. Suho’s gaze flitted about the room as he quickly counted them all in his head.

 

“…Twelve.”

 

“We are all the Legends reborn,” Lay confirmed.

 

“But how do you _know_ ,” Suho said desperately.

 

“I can answer that,” Kris spoke up. “Mama wanted to ensure that her Legends would be able to find each other in the next life, so when I was reborn, I already remembered everything: our past life, the battle, our purpose…all of it. See, us Legends, we have a kind of connection to one other. I traveled the galaxy by myself for years, letting that connection pull me towards the others you see before you now. When I brought them their orbs they remembered too, and we formed a crew together as we searched for the rest of our brothers in arms.”

 

“I didn’t remember,” Suho pointed out. “I still don’t. Maybe I saw Mama in a dream, but I have no recollection of anything you’re telling me now.”

 

Kris smiled sadly. “That’s because you carry half of the Heart inside you. We realized it when we found Chen, just a few months before you. He has the other half. Something must have gone wrong when the halves were placed within you. You can’t remember your past life, Chen can’t remember his past in _this_ life. We found him, unconscious and bleeding out, with his limbs already missing. No matter how hard he tries, he can’t remember. We think neither of you will be able to remember until you unite the Heart.”

 

Suho turned to look at Chen. The normally happy engineer had his jaw tightly clenched. He was shaking; tears ran silently down his face.

 

“…Chen?” he heard himself say softly. Chen shook his head and wiped away his tears before he looked up at Suho.

 

“I have so many memories of you,” Chen said angrily. “I remember everything about you in our past life. The Heart in me wants nothing more than to be reunited with the Heart in you. But I know nothing about myself, and I won’t until you start believing.”

 

A bleak silence blanketed the room.

 

“And you remember all of this too?” Suho asked Lay, swallowing hard. “You remember this past life of yours?”

 

“Yes, I remember our past life,” Lay breathed. “All of it.”

 

“And this Evil, this ‘ _Red’_ we’re supposed to be fighting. What the hell does it have to do with the Corps?”

 

“The Ranger Corps is a front. The Evil is behind it all. Why do you think they’ve been trying to extend their reach further than ever before? They don’t really want peace. There’s something wrong with the Corps, and deep down, you’ve always known it,” Kris said sternly. “I think they can sense the Heart too. It’s always been in you, incredibly faint, but enough to make them suspicious. That’s why they never let you leave your precious little station.”

 

“How do I know I can believe you?” Suho asked. “If I’m to believe all this is true…how do I know you aren’t really the Red trying to brainwash me?”

 

Minseok stood up and walked over to Suho, holding out a familiar little box. “Only a Legend can use their orb,” he said. “Pick it up and press it to your heart. If it works, you’re a Legend, no doubt. We’ll all do the same to prove ourselves as well.”

 

Suho took the box and flipped it open. He stared at the royal blue orb before hesitantly cradling it in his hand and lifting it up. There was a shuffle of movement across the room as the rest of the crew pulled similar-looking orbs out, Lay included.

 

“On the count of three?” Minseok suggested. They all nodded.

 

“One.”

 

“Two.”

 

“Three.”

 

The twelve men simultaneously pressed their respective orbs to their hearts. Suho gasped. An overwhelming feeling of strength surged through his veins. He heard the ocean roar in his ears, felt the power of crashing waves vibrate deep within his bones. He could smell the salty ocean air. His vision sharpened and he suddenly became aware of any and all water near him. It called to him like a siren calling to a sailor from the depths, mournful and hopeful and hauntingly beautiful all at once.

 

“What is this,” he whispered hoarsely.

 

“You have the gift of water,” Lay’s voice said in his ear. Suho turned to see his friend’s eyes glowing silver.

 

“And you?” he choked out, still unused to the feeling coursing through his body.

 

“Healing,” Lay said ruefully. “Fitting, isn’t it? Did you notice yet that Chen has no signs of the injury he sustained earlier?”

 

“I’m sure you’ve noticed that most of us come from different planets,” Kris said next. His eyes were glowing gold. “While many of us already have abilities thanks to our heritage, our orbs enhance them to an almost unfathomable level. Despite their scales, my people of the planet Drax cannot truly turn into the dragons of old Terran lore. I can though. My orb gifts me with the power of flight.”

 

“I have the gift of ice,” Xiumin said. His eyes glowed light blue.

 

“The gift of telekinetic energy,” Luhan said. His eyes glowed grey.

 

“The gift of fire,” Chanyeol said. His eyes glowed red.

 

“The gift of light,” Baekhyun said. His eyes glowed white.

 

“The gift of earth,” D.O. said. His eyes glowed purple.

 

“The gift of matter manipulation,” Kai said. His eyes glowed black.

 

“The gift of wind,” Sehun said. His eyes glowed green.

 

“The gift of time,” Tao said. His eyes glowed bronze.

 

“The gift of lightning,” Chen said. His eyes glowed yellow.

 

Suho clutched at his chest and forcibly drew the orb back out with a shuddering breath. The others, sensing his distress, followed suit.

 

“Okay,” he breathed shakily. “Okay. So we’re the twelve Legends meant to save the entire universe. Okay. Sounds fine. It’s fine. I’m fine.”

 

“Breathe,” Lay ordered, gently rubbing circles on Suho’s back as the Commander panicked. Chen watched with worried eyes.

 

“Okay. Okay. I’m calm. I…I believe you. Stars, I believe you. So how do we reunite the Heart?” Suho asked finally.

 

The others hesitated.

 

“We don’t know,” Chen told him bluntly. “All we have is a clue. Something called the El Dorado is supposed to help us unite the Heart once more.”

 

Suho frowned. “The El Dorado? But…that’s the name of my station. That can’t just be a coincidence…can it?”

 

* * *

 

 

“Lieutenant Amber. It’s always a pleasure to see you alive and well. It’s a pity I can’t say the same for Commander Suho,” Bang Yongguk said smoothly as he stepped out of B.A.P.’s sleek silver ship onto the ground of RED’s hangar. Amber bristled.

 

“He _is_ alive and well. It is your job to ensure it stays that way,” she replied sharply. Yongguk’s mouth twitched in cold amusement.

 

“So it seems,” he agreed airily. “Boys?” He glanced over his shoulder to see the rest of his team. They all snapped to attention, silent and eerily stiff for human beings. “Don’t worry, Lieutenant. We’ll have those filthy pirates on the Lucky One killed and Commander Suho returned before the month is up.” Yongguk’s eyes narrowed dangerously as he turned back to face Amber. “I _guarantee_ it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so the truth is out. Or is it?


	8. VIII

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. I know it's been a few months. I know this chapter is a bit short. In my defense, I had a lot going on in my life and I had awful writer's block for a while. But guess what? Not only am I updating now, I promise you're all going to get weekly updates from now on (at least until school starts up again for me).

With the revelations of the Legends having come to light, Suho and Lay were released from their cells and given proper rooms of their own. Kris gave them free reign of the ship as well, yet Suho couldn’t help but notice he was never truly left to his own devices. He supposed he could blame the tracker that remained in his arm for that. Some member of the crew always managed to find him, eager to try and help him remember his past life.

 

All except Chen, that is.

 

The engineer seemed dead set on avoiding Suho at all costs. Whenever Suho entered a room, Chen seemed to “conveniently” remember some maintenance he needed to do on the other side of the ship. The other crewmembers had even taken to assigning Suho to be awake during any and all shifts _except_ Yellow (when Chen was assigned to be awake). It was frustrating to no end, but the most frustrating part of all was the fact that Suho had no idea how to remedy the situation. It wasn’t his fault he couldn’t remember. Assuming all the stories about the Legends were true, the others would have more of an idea about what went wrong with the Heart separation than Suho would.

 

It was hard to remember something you didn’t even know you had forgotten in the first place.

 

However, despite all his frustration, Suho couldn’t help but find himself listening to the crew’s stories.

 

“—And so I thought, well, what’s the worst that could happen? Because it wasn’t as if I had tried to light that particular part of the house on fire before—”

 

“—Even though all logic says lighting the house on fire in the first place is probably a bad idea—”

 

“So I tried it, and naturally that was the one part of the house that Xiumin _hadn’t_ fire-proofed yet like he said he was going to—”

 

“—And then you came storming in, because the house was on _fire_ , and you gave us all a lecture about using our gifts responsibly—”

 

Suho laughed along with Chanyeol and Baekhyun, amused by their story. As odd as it was to comprehend, he could completely imagine himself storming in and lecturing them like they claimed he had.

 

“Suho?” a voice suddenly interrupted their conversation. Suho’s laughter died in his throat as he looked up only to meet the troubled gaze of Chen.

 

“Y-Yes?” he coughed out, oblivious to the strange looks Baekhyun and Chanyeol were giving him.

 

“Kris needs you in the bridge,” Chen mumbled. He turned away, fidgeting with something around his neck as he headed out of the door. Suho glanced at the other two men left in the room.

 

“Um, I guess I should…” he said awkwardly, gesturing towards where Chen had been standing only moments before. They nodded and grinned, waving him out the door before going back to bickering with one another.

 

Suho walked down the hallway, noting the glowing purple lights that lit his way. It was still fairly early for Chen to be awake—and though Kris often seemed as if he never slept, Purple was actually the captain’s shift to be awake, so Suho couldn’t fault him for that. He frowned. Wait. Since when had he been so hyper-aware of how much sleep each crewmember was getting? A faint feeling of familiarity surfaced somewhere in the back of his mind, but as soon as the bridge door came into sight, the feeling dissipated once more.

 

The commander placed his hand on the security panel next to the door and it slid open to reveal Kris pacing thoughtfully around the bridge. In the corner, Chen was hunched into a chair, avoiding making eye contact with anyone.

 

“Captain?” Suho called out expectantly. Kris blinked, suddenly pulled out of his concentration at the sound of Suho’s voice.

 

“Ah, yes, come in!” he called, gesturing for Suho to enter. “I was hoping you would be able to help me with something.” Kris hurried over to his captain’s chair and pressed a few buttons on the armrest, grinning triumphantly when a holographic blueprint appeared in the center of the room. The lights dimmed and the holograph glowed a faint blue, rotating slowly so the men could get a 360 view.

 

“What is this?” Suho asked, furrowing his brow.

 

“The blueprint to the RED,” Kris responded casually.

 

“The Re—wait, as in my station?!” Suho asked, his frown deepening. “Where in the stars did you even get this?”

 

“That’s not important,” Kris said, waving a hand dismissively. “What _is_ important is figuring out how we get into the station without being detected. A full-out assault like last time won’t work.”

 

“Well I should hope not,” Suho replied, slightly offended. “And why, exactly, are we sneaking into my station?”

 

“You said it yourself. The El Dorado must be the name of your station for a reason, no? I can’t believe we didn’t make the connection until you came along, but it seems obvious now. If there’s anything the Red is hiding on that station that will help us reunite the Heart, then we need to find it.”

 

“How am I supposed to help?” Suho asked, a flare of nervousness weighing heavily on his chest. “I’m not very good at understanding architecture, nor am I a strategist.”

 

“Maybe not, but you have experience, and that’s more valuable to us than any old blueprint,” Kris pointed out. “We could use this to plan the best route in, but our plan would fail instantly if we ran into a guard patrol at the wrong time. You can help us avoid any situations like that.”

 

Suho took a deep breath. “Okay. I’ll see what I can do. Where exactly are you thinking of entering from?”

 

Kris beamed. “There’s a service duct here that seems like a pretty viable option,” he said, pointing towards a specific spot on the blueprint. Suho glanced at it and shook his head immediately.

 

“That’s too close to the main bridge,” he argued. “No one on my station would be able to make it that far without some serious clearance. If you want to take a service duct, I’d suggest…” He trailed off as he walked around the blueprint, carefully studying the structure of his own station. “This one.” He pointed to a specific spot on the map. “Often the guards are tired by the end of their shift, so they rarely patrol here. It’s also by the engine room, so any noise you make will likely be covered up by the noise of the engine.”

 

“Impressive,” a voice said. Suho looked up to see Chen staring at him intently. The engineer cocked his head to the side. “Are you certain, though?”

 

Suho scowled. “Of course I am,” he said. “It’s my own station. I’ve lived there for years. I know the place like the back of my own hand.” Chen scoffed and leaned back into his chair.

 

“Fine,” he muttered. “If you say so.” Suho glared at him. First he refused to speak, and now he was being hostile? The commander huffed and crossed his arms.

 

“Fine,” he echoed. “Don’t believe me. See how far you get before my lieutenant shoots you dead.”

 

“ _Enough_ ,” Kris interrupted before Chen could reply. “Chen. You have the information you need. Go get Baekhyun and Chanyeol and get to work.”

 

“Yes, _Captain_ ,” Chen muttered, leaping out of his seat and stalking out of the room, still fidgeting with the thing around his neck. Out of the corner of his eye, Suho caught a glimpse of a ring around a leather cord before Chen brushed past him completely.

 

“I’m sorry about him,” Kris apologized. “Some days…the Heart just gets to him more than others.” A shiver ran down Suho’s spine at the vagueness of Kris’ words. Was the Heart capable of affecting his own emotions? “Anyways,” the captain continued. “We’ll be reaching the RED soon, so you and Lay will be put on guard duty to watch over the ship along with Minseok.”

 

Suho blinked. “What?” he asked dumbly. “Why do we have to stay on the ship? It’s _our_ home.”

 

“It’s not safe,” Kris said firmly. “We can’t afford to have you branded as a pirate along with the rest of us. It’ll only give the Red a legal reason to have you captured and killed. The Heart needs to stay safe.”

 

“Then if I’m caught I’ll just say you forced me to participate, threatened me even,” Suho retorted. “Lay staying behind I can understand. He’s a healer, we need him uninjured and able to function. But me? I have the Heart in me, so won’t they be unable to hurt me out of fear of damaging the Heart?” he argued.

 

Suho was completely unprepared for the intensity that burned in Kris’ eyes when the captain rounded on him. “Listen to me, Suho. They will _kill you_. If they find out you know your true destiny, they will destroy you without hesitation. They couldn’t care less about the Heart. The sooner the Heart is eliminated, the better. It means Mama will no longer be able to meddle in their affairs. It means that while you may not be able to remember us, we all remember you, and we have already watched you die once. We will _not_ watch you die before us again.” Kris took a deep, shaky breath.

 

“You watched me…die?” Suho echoed, confusion etched across his face. “What do you mean?”

 

“You were the first one to die, Suho. All those years ago, when we were inside the tree and separating the Heart? Each and every single one of us can remember the instant after the Heart half was placed inside you, when the Red’s army finally broke down the door and stormed into the Tree. We watched as their leader turned their soulless gaze on you and screamed in rage, watched as they raised their hand and pointed to you, watched helplessly as a horrible bolt of dark energy arced through the air and hit you square in the chest. We watched in silent horror as you stumbled back in shock and reached out to Chen in your last moments before you collapsed to the ground, unmoving.” Kris shook his head. “Chen remembers most of all. He barely managed to take your ring off your dead body in the midst of battle before he, too, was killed.”

 

The image of Chen fiddling with a ring around his neck flashed into Suho’s mind.

 

“So please,” the captain pleaded. “Listen to me when I tell you to stay behind. We cannot afford to lose you again. Not just because of the Heart, but because none of us wish to see you die ever again.”

 

Suho swallowed hard. His palms felt sweaty, his vision swimming. “Okay,” he said softly. “I’ll stay behind.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

Overridden with anxiety at the thought of returning to his station, Suho wandered the halls of the Lucky One aimlessly as if searching for some form of distraction. The lights were green now, meaning Kai, D.O., and Tao were awake, but Suho wasn’t exactly sure he wanted to turn to any of them for comfort. (They were the crewmembers that still scared him the most, though Suho would be hard-pressed to admit it).

 

Before he knew it, Suho found himself standing outside the door to the engine room. He paused. What was he even doing here? His eyes narrowed suspiciously. He had a sinking feeling the Heart half inside of him had drawn him to Chen’s half.

 

Suho turned around, determined to leave, when he heard the sound of a door sliding open. He whirled around to see Chen staring at him in confusion, the engineer’s fingers clasping the ring dangling from his neck tightly. Suho swallowed.

 

“…That’s my ring, isn’t it?” Suho asked. He hesitantly took a step forwards, gesturing towards Chen’s hand.

 

“…Do you remember it?” Chen asked carefully. A bit of hope flickered dangerously in his eyes.

 

“May I?” Suho asked, holding out his palm. Chen glanced at his open palm. He blinked. Slowly nodded to himself. Then cautiously untied the cord from his neck and dropped it into Suho’s outstretched hand.

 

The ring itself was a simple golden band with a tiny deep blue gem inlaid in the center. Suho held it up to the light, inspecting it curiously.

 

“… _You_ gave this to me,” Suho breathed. He turned the ring in his fingers almost reverently. “In the center of the kingdom there was a market that I wanted to go to, but I had to stay behind and guard the Tree. So you went there for me and brought me back this ring.” He looked up to meet Chen’s intense stare. “I…I don’t know how I know that. But I’m right, aren’t I?” he asked.

 

Chen nodded almost violently. “Yes,” he choked out quietly. “That’s right. I bought it for you.”

 

“Why wasn’t I allowed to leave the Tree?” Suho asked curiously. “Surely someone else could have taken over for me, right?”

 

Chen shook his head no. “You…you weren’t ever allowed to leave the Tree,” Chen explained carefully. “You were one of our leaders. You sacrificed your own freedom for the rest of us. Both you and Kris were permanently stuck at the Tree, unable to leave out of fear of the Red’s attacks. The only time you two ever left was for the final battle against the Red.”

 

“Oh,” Suho said softly. He frowned and took a step back. “Does that…does that mean once the Heart is reunited, I won’t be able to leave wherever the Tree is reborn?”

 

Chen froze. “I don’t know,” he admitted softly. “I really don’t.”

 

If anyone heard Suho’s cries echoing from his room later that day, they chose not to comment on it the next time they saw the commander.


End file.
